How do you freeze rows in Google Sheets?
Quick answer
Freezing rows or columns in Google Sheets keeps them fixed on screen while the rest of the sheet scrolls, so the header row (or a name column) stays visible. You set it from View > Freeze, choosing how many rows or columns to pin.
Last updated
Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters
Past row 30, a sheet with no visible header is a wall of numbers: was column F the deposit or the balance? Freezing the header keeps every value labeled, which cuts down misreads and wrong entries.
Frozen header rows also help other features. Sorting and filtering know to leave a frozen header row in place, and a frozen name column keeps each row identifiable when you scroll sideways.
A worked example
A school’s office tracks 420 students with 18 columns: name, grade, guardian, phone, allergies, pickup permissions and more. Staff kept typing allergies into the pickup column because they lost track while scrolling.
The office manager freezes row 1 and column A. Now the headers stay on top and student names stay on the left wherever you scroll. Misplaced entries drop from several a week to almost none.
Often confused with
Freeze vs protect
Freezing only affects what stays on screen. Protecting a range stops people from editing it.
Freeze vs merge
Merging combines cells into one big cell. It is in the same menu area, but has nothing to do with scrolling.
Freeze vs a filter view
A filter view changes which rows you see. Freezing keeps certain rows visible while you scroll through whichever rows are showing.
Tips
- Freeze only the header row (and a name column if the sheet is wide).
- Avoid freezing so many rows that little room is left to scroll.
- Unfreeze with View > Freeze > No rows.
Related terms
Learn it in a free lesson
- Google Sheets Tutorial: Build a Job Tracker That Totals Itself (about 15 minutes)
Sources
Written from these official help pages. Menus change, so if a button has moved, the help page has the current wording.
- Google Docs Editors Help: Freeze, group, hide or merge rows and columns
- Google Workspace Learning Center: Google Sheets cheat sheet
Frequently asked questions
- How do I freeze the top row in Google Sheets?
- Choose View > Freeze > 1 row.
- Can I freeze rows on my phone?
- Yes. In the Sheets app on Android, touch and hold a row or column header and choose Freeze.
- Does freezing affect other people?
- Yes. Freezing is part of the sheet, so everyone sees the same frozen rows.
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